2.  Here is what you can expect to receive from the Wedding Officiant for a wedding planned 3 months to a year from today:

• Two face-to-face meetings with the officiant

• Officiant will provide your choice of wedding vow styles listed below at #4

• Receive or omit The Couple's Love Story in your choice of a Ceremony Vow Type

• Officiant will begin services once a contract is signed and a 50% non-refundable retainer fee is paid in advanced of the ceremony date 

• Officiant will attend a Wedding Rehearsal if a 50% non-refundable retainer fee is paid in advanced of the ceremony date

• A contract

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3.  Here is what you can expect to receive from the Wedding Officiant for a wedding planned 2 months or less from today:

• Officiant will correspond with the couple via email or phone, and will meet with the couple at the couple's indoor or outdoor ceremony space of preference on the day of the ceremony

• Officiant will provide your choice of wedding vow styles listed below at #4

• Officiant will begin services once a contract is signed and a 50% non-refundable retainer fee is paid in advanced of the ceremony date or due to a short scheduling window, $78.50 is paid on the day of the ceremony

• An event day team member will arrive with the officiant to obtain cell phone pictures of the ceremony only and the free pictures will be sent to you, via email or text

• A courtesy email or text will be sent to confirm the arrival of the Wedding Officiant on the Ceremony Day

• A contract 

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4.  Wedding Vow Styles (All ceremonies will include the Declaration of Consent or Statement of Intentions.  If desired, the couple may include personal written vows, unity ceremony or a cultural tradition to any wedding vow style below)

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• All Inclusive Ceremony (a repeat after me ceremony that highlights the importance of inclusivity, open mindedness and a Corinthians reading)

• Baptist Traditional Ceremony (with I Do, I Have & We Do)

• Blended Family Ceremony (with I Do & Repeat After Me) )

• Catholic Inspired Modern Ceremony (with Homily, Statement of Intentions & Repeat After Me)

• Catholic Traditional Ceremony (I Do, I Will & Congregation Responses of Lord, Hear Our Prayer)

• Christian Ceremony (I Do & Repeat After Me)

• Custom Personalized Ceremony

• Episcopal Ceremony (with The Lord's Prayer I Do, We Will & Repeat After Me)

• Intercultural Ceremony

  • Muslim & Jewish​

• Interfaith Ceremony

  • Jewish & Christian​

  • Muslim & Christian

• Jumping the Broom Ceremony (with Personal Vows & I Do) 

• Non-religious Ceremony (for those who have nothing to do with religion & contains I Do & Repeat After Me)

• Non-denominational Ceremony (for those who have no religious preference, but are spiritual) & contains I Do & Repeat After Me)

• Protestant Ceremony (with Repeat After Me)

• Shortest Ceremony (with Yes or I Do replies & the Pronouncement)

• Sign & Go Marriage License Signing Ceremony (with Declaration of Intent & the Pronouncement)

• Simple Ceremony (with I Do)

• Simple Ceremony (with I Do Ceremony & Repeat After Me)

• Traditional Ceremony (with I Do & Repeat After Me)

• Vow Renewal Ceremony (with We Do, I Will, I Do & Repeat After Me)

 

5.  Fees

• A non-refundable 50% retainer is required to activate a contract.  The remaining balance must be paid two weeks prior to the ceremony date or on the day of the ceremony if the ceremony date is within two months or less.

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• The total cost to perform a wedding ceremony or vow renewal ceremony is $53.50 with tax, and an additional $25 notary fee without tax is also required, for a total of $78.50.  The cost for the officiant to attend a one-hour rehearsal one day or more before the wedding is an additional $107 with tax for a total of $185.50.​

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• Any wedding ceremony that starts 30 minutes late or more after the ceremony's planned start time, will incur a "ceremony started late fee" of  $53.50 and it is payable before the officiant signs the marriage license.  Also, couples can also expect to pay an additional “convenience fee” of $53.50 if they book a wedding on any of the following holidays: 

• New Year’s Eve

• New Year’s Day

• Easter

• Memorial Day

• July 4th

• Labor Day

• Thanksgiving Day

• Hannukah

• Christmas Eve

• Christmas Day

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6.  Per Diem Rates Apply if the Wedding Officiant is Needed to Work More Than 50 Miles Away
If the officiant must reside overnight because the travel distance is greater than one hour, the client must pay the officiant's per diem as follows:

• Meals (covers breakfast, lunch, dinner and any incidental snacks)

• Lodging (covers the cost of the hotel or other accommodation) and

• Incidentals (covers small miscellaneous expenses like tips, transportation to and from the airport, parking fees or other minor costs).

 
To determine the per diem rate, find the distance from Sumter to the venue's city using Google.  If the distance is 50 miles or more, use the GSA Per Diem Rates Link below to search, by using your state, city or zipcode to view the Per Diem Rates listed in order to determine the cost for the officiant's lodging, meals and incidentals.  

GSA Per Diem Rates Link

IRS Announces 2023-2024 Per Diem Rates For Taxpayers Who Travel For Business (forbes.com)   

 7.  Marriage & Ceremonial Certificate Information
A personalized marriage certificate can be purchased from the wedding officiant to hang on your wall at $7, $9 or $11 and depends on the certificate selected.  However, it is not necessary to purchase a marriage certificate from your wedding officiant. 

Marriage & Ceremonial Certficate Link
 
For Sumter County marriages, after your Officiant returns the signed marriage license to the probate court within 15 days of the ceremony, you can purchase a certified copy of a marriage certificate from the probate court.  The cost is $5 per certified copy as of Summer 2023, and the price may increase without notice.  Nonetheless, a probate court marriage certiicate can be printed while you wait. 

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8.  SC Marriage License Information

Be sure to visit or contact the Probate Court in your city, to ask when does your marriage license expires?  The article in the link states that a marriage license does not expire in SC.  To be safe, anyone wanting to marry, should obtain a marriage license at least 6 months before the planned wedding date.  Also noteworthy is that witnesses are not required for SC wedding ceremonies, nor  is a blood test required of the couple. For more info, read the following link:   SC Marriage License Information Link

 

9.  Free or Affordable Idea Types of Places to Marry

Ceremony Venue Ideas 

 

10.  Cancellation & Change Policy
If a couple does not remit payment as specified, the wedding officiant has the right to cancel a contract without further obligation to refund the retainer or to perform services.  However, the retainer can be applied to another date and time, as long as the couple notify the officiant and request a change in writing (email) no later than 14 days prior to the new ceremony date and/or time. 
 
In the unlikely event that the wedding officiant is unable to officiate a ceremony for unforeseen circumstance (i.e. hospitalization, automobile accident, and/or transportation breakdown etc.), the officiant shall make reasonable attempts to provide a replacement wedding officiant, qualified to perform weddings in the state of South Carolina at no additional cost to the couple, and  the couple shall be refunded the full fees paid for the services within 14 days. 
 
If the couple needs to cancel a ceremony due to an unforeseen relationship conflict or force majeure (due to unforeseeable circumstances beyond anyone's control), the couple shall be refunded 50% of fees paid for the services via written or email notification to the wedding officiant for all ceremony script work and research completed.  
 

11.  Qualifications, Contact Button and Ceremony Gallery
The officiant is a certified professional and is recognized as a legally ordained wedding officiant of American Marriage Ministries and is also fully qualified to officiate weddings in the state of South Carolina as of July 2, 2022.  The officiant is also experienced in public speaking, and she has served as a radio broadcaster in Warrenton, VA, Nashville, TN and Florence, SC.